Fibre Optic Connectors & Adapters

Fibre Optic Systems’ manufactures a range of quality, high performance & low insertion loss fibre optic connectors and through adapters. Not to be confused, optical connectors terminate on to the end of optical fibre cable to allow for connection and disconnection. Through adapters align and connect two terminated optical connectors to allow for light and data transmission.

Both connectors and adapters are available in a range of configurations. The most common variants today are: LC, SC, ST, MPO & FC. Fibre optic connectors come in both glue on and mechanical termination varieties. Glue on epoxy connectors provide the best results, however require suitable equipment to terminate and polish and are unsuitable for use in the field. Mechanical connectors, or quick connects, have a prepolished ferrule with a fibre stub terminated inside. A bare fibre can be prepared and terminated onto a quick connect in the field with minimal equipment. While insertion loss is not as low as a factory polished epoxy connector, quick connects provide a sufficient connection for most non-carrier or enterprise grade, non-mission critical fibre networks.

Typically through adapters are designed to connect two like optical connectors, however hybrid varieties exist. Often adapters are colour coded to represent the mode of fibre to be connected. In the past phosphor bronze alignment sleeves were common, however the superior ceramic zirconia sleeves have all but replaced phosphor bronze in all but the most legacy of through adapters.